Adhesively coupled power-meter for measurement of force, torque, and power and associated methods
First Claim
1. An adhesively coupled power-meter for measurement of one or more of force, torque, power, and velocity of a mechanical arm, comprising:
- a plate having a first surface prepared for adhesively coupling with the mechanical arm;
at least one strain gauge physically coupled with a second surface of the plate opposite the first and with an orientation corresponding to an orientation of the adhesively coupled power meter, wherein mechanical forces are transferred from mechanical arm to the at least one strain gauge when the plate is adhesively coupled to the mechanical arm;
electronics for receiving a signal from the at least one strain gauge and for determining one or more of force, torque, and power from the signal; and
a wireless transmitter for transmitting, to a receiving device, one or more of force, torque, and power;
wherein orientation of the one or more of strain gauges is selected to remove one or more of the effects, coupling from strain, and forces that do not contribute to bending of the mechanical arm.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An adhesively coupled power-meter measures one or more of force, torque, power, and velocity of a mechanical arm. The power meter includes a plate with a first surface prepared for adhesively coupling to the mechanical arm. At least one strain gauge is physically coupled with a second surface, opposite the first, of the plate and with an orientation corresponding to an orientation of the adhesively coupled power meter such that mechanical forces are transferred from mechanical arm to the at least one strain gauge when the plate is adhesively coupled to the mechanical arm. The power meter also includes electronics for receiving a signal from the at least one strain gauge and for determining one or more of force, torque, power and velocity from the signal, and a wireless transmitter for transmitting one or more of force, torque, power and velocity to a receiving device.
20 Citations
18 Claims
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1. An adhesively coupled power-meter for measurement of one or more of force, torque, power, and velocity of a mechanical arm, comprising:
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a plate having a first surface prepared for adhesively coupling with the mechanical arm; at least one strain gauge physically coupled with a second surface of the plate opposite the first and with an orientation corresponding to an orientation of the adhesively coupled power meter, wherein mechanical forces are transferred from mechanical arm to the at least one strain gauge when the plate is adhesively coupled to the mechanical arm; electronics for receiving a signal from the at least one strain gauge and for determining one or more of force, torque, and power from the signal; and a wireless transmitter for transmitting, to a receiving device, one or more of force, torque, and power; wherein orientation of the one or more of strain gauges is selected to remove one or more of the effects, coupling from strain, and forces that do not contribute to bending of the mechanical arm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for measuring strain of a mechanical arm using a power-meter adhesively coupled to the mechanical arm, comprising the steps of:
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receiving, within electronics of the power-meter, signals from at least one strain gauge that is mechanically coupled to the mechanical arm via a plate of the power meter; determining the strain within the mechanical arm based upon the signals; sending the strain to a receiving device; receiving a second signal from at least one inertial sensor mechanically coupled to the mechanical arm; determining one or more of force and torque based upon the strain; determining velocity of the mechanical arm based upon the second signal; and calculating power applied to the mechanical arm based upon one or more of the determined force, the determined torque, and the determined velocity.
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18. A method for measuring strain of a mechanical arm using a power-meter adhesively coupled to the mechanical arm, comprising the steps of:
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receiving, within electronics of the power-meter, signals from at least one strain gauge that is mechanically coupled to the mechanical arm via a plate of the power meter; determining the strain within the mechanical arm based upon the signals; sending the strain to a receiving device; and self-calibrating the force measurement based upon a known force applied to the mechanical arm.
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Specification